PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to identify perceived stress level, stress symptoms, and ways of coping and to examine the influences of perceived stress level and ways of coping on stress symptoms in Korean college students. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive survey study design was used. A sample of 1,056 male and female college students completed the Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument, Symptoms of Stress Inventory, and the Ways of Coping Checklist. Data was analyzed by t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis using SPSS/WIN 12.0. RESULTS: The perceived stress level, stress symptoms, and ways of coping were found to be significantly positively correlated with one another. The perceived stress level and stress symptoms had a greater positive correlation with emotion-focused coping than problem-focused coping. Perceived stress, emotion-relieving coping, perceived health status, and wishful thinking coping accounted for 37.7% of the variance in college students' stress symptoms. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that nurses, while developing and providing stress management programs, need to be aware of the perceived stress level, health perception, and the tendency to emotion-focused coping in Korean college students, as these factors all influence their total stress symptoms.